A scouting report on every notable prospect moved at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline
The NHL Trade Deadline is a whirlwind of draft picks and veterans moving around, with teams making their final moves before the playoffs.
But the real intrigue often lies in the stars of tomorrow – the prospects changing addresses and destined for fresh starts. Many young guns often define the “win” or “loss” of a trade down the line. In some cases, they’re just contract dump-ins who won’t ever come close to the NHL.
For a full list of trades, check out Daily Faceoff’s handy dandy trade tracker. Here’s a breakdown of all the prospects moved in the lead-up to the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline:
Alexis Gendron, RW, 22 (Boston Bruins)
By AHL standards, Gendron is a solid playmaker who can put up about 30 points a season. He’s an energetic forward who loves chasing pucks and has speed to burn. The problem? That’s pretty much all he’s capable of. He doesn’t have the size or physicality to thrive in a bottom-six role, and while he’s a good shooter, the numbers haven’t translated to the pro game. Gendron will likely remain an AHLer going forward.
Massimo Rizzo, C, 24 (Boston Bruins)
Rizzo went from being a seventh-round prospect from Carolina to an intriguing part of Philadelphia’s system. Rizzo was extremely productive during his three-year run with the NCAA’s University of Denver, where he put up 126 points in 107 games. So, why hasn’t his pro career panned out? His AHL numbers last year weren’t bad, per se, with 18 points in 46 games. He’s an excellent skater, too. But scouts were worried about his play away from the offensive zone, and that remains an issue. Rizzo is an older prospect at this point, but don’t give up on him yet – hopefully the move to Providence gets him back on track.
Jonathan Castagna, C, 20 (Calgary Flames)
Utah managed to acquire one of the top blueliners on the market in MacKenzie Weegar without shipping out any of their top prospects. But Castagna was still a nice get for the Flames, especially with the season he has had. The St. Andrew College alum was a star prep-school player, but scouts were interested to see if he could carry that scoring into the NCAA. He had a solid rookie campaign, fell a bit in his second year at Cornell and is now back to putting up huge numbers. Cornell has had its struggles at times, but Castagna has been the primary scoring threat for the group that lacks a ton of high-end NHL prospects. Castagna is a big, strong, power forward who has the potential to become a solid middle-six NHLer. He’s speedy, always moving and consistently finding ways to generate quality scoring chances. Castagna has instantly become one of Calgary’s most interesting prospects, which is ideal during a rebuild.
Max Curran, C, 20 (Calgary Flames)
Curran is a big, smart forward who will beat opponents with his stick skills more so than his size, but he can definitely knock someone down with ease. The 6-foot-3 center can often be seen outsmarting opponents in the WHL, where he’s set to finish with yet another productive season. He hasn’t played since mid-January due to injury, but Curran has been one of the Edmonton Oil Kings’ top forwards when healthy. Next year he’ll join the NCAA’s University of Massachusetts, where he’ll work on gathering some more foot speed.
Brennan Othmann, LW, 23 (Calgary Flames)
Othmann was once a very promising prospect who proved he could score and agitate in the OHL. But after a solid rookie season in the AHL, in which he put up 49 points, Othmann struggled to perform, while also missing time with injury. He has just one goal and three points in 42 NHL games, with most Rangers fans writing the 23-year-old off. He’s still a decent AHLer, but can he be anything more than that? That’s the question the Flames organization will seek to answer, but his stock has definitely dropped significantly in recent years.
Christoffer Sedoff, D, 24 (Nashville Predators)
Sedoff always felt like a roster spot dump for the Vegas Golden Knights. The 24-year-old has spent the past three years in the AHL, with his production falling significantly from his previous best of 14 points a year ago. His game is more about shutting opponents down and taking space away. He’s fine there, but there’s nothing really about his game that screams “future NHL call-up.” The most likely course of action is for the team to let his rights expire this June, allowing him to become a free agent.
Jacob Battaglia, C/LW, 19 (New York Rangers)
Battaglia is a 19-year-old in the midst of a not-so-stellar season. Offense has been hard to come by, both in Kingston and now in Flint. He has moved to center as of late, though, which is intriguing given he has primarily played on the wings. Battaglia is an impressive playmaker, but he also had 40 goals and 90 points a year ago. His shot is lethal, although I wish we’d see it a bit more. Younger than Othmann, who was involved in the trade, but the big thing is that Battaglia’s skating still needs improvement.
Liam Greentree, RW, 20 (New York Rangers)
This one happened just prior to the pre-Olympic trade freeze, but Greentree was easily one of the most notable players moved this year. The 20-year-old has been a scoring machine throughout his major junior career, which was highlighted by a 49-goal, 119-point season with the Windsor Spitfires last year. Now in his fourth and final year of junior, Greentree is ready to take the next step forward and go pro after the season is over. He actually almost made the Los Angeles Kings out of training camp this year, before the team elected to send him back to Windsor to maximize his playing time. It helped him earn a spot on Canada’s World Junior team, where he played about 9 minutes across three games. The biggest knock against Greentree earlier in his career was below-average skating. He’s a bit quicker now, but it’s still not a strength. What is, though, is his ability to dominate the game with his puck while agitating others. There’s some top-six potential here if the Rangers develop him correctly.
Aidan Thompson, LW, 24 (New York Rangers)
Thompson is coming off an incredible year of college hockey, when he put up 55 points in 44 games with the University of Denver. Thompson was one of the older forwards, so expectations were definitely high. But some scouts saw potential as a middle-six player if everything developed as planned. He has struggled offensively in Rockford, but there’s still a bit of runway, even as a 24-year-old, for him to push for some NHL duty over the next few years. Thompson is defensively reliable and does a good job of getting the puck out of danger.
Jackson Edward, D, 22 (Philadelphia Flyers)
Edward craves violence. He wants to do whatever it takes to separate you from the puck at all costs. But the 6-foot-3 defender has primarily played in the ECHL this year after a slow start to the season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. A fresh start could be big for the OHL champion – we know Flyers fans love physical, face-pounding blueliners. It feels like he’s a real long shot to ever make the NHL, but, hopefully, he’ll get into full-time AHL duty again and show what made him intriguing as a junior player – his defensive, no-nonsense play style.
Brett Harrison, C, 22 (Philadelphia Flyers)
Harrison was a solid OHLer capable of putting up 60 points a year. But in the AHL, he’s more of a grinder, capable of around 20 points while being physically difficult to contain. He’s strong, defensively reliable, and he can kill penalties. The odds of him playing more than a few NHL games a year, though, look a lot less likely every year. He’s not a great skater, is just fine with the puck and has limited offensive potential. If you’re bringing him up, it’s to punish opponents along the boards.
Dmitri Buchelnikov, LW, 22 (St. Louis Blues)
Buchelnikov has had an excellent two years in the KHL. He had 54 points in 65 games with Vityaz before putting up 23 points in 39 games with CSKA (he missed just under two months with an injury). He’s a high-volume shooter when he’s grooving and does a great job of handling himself physically around the crease. I like his shot release, and he’s an incredible playmaker, too. Some scouts consider him to be the best prospect still playing in the KHL – and that’s good, since his KHL deal ends this spring.
Marcus Gidlöf, G, 20 (St. Louis Blues)
Gidlöf was once viewed as one of the most intriguing goalie prospects outside of the NHL. At 6-foot-7, it’s hard to miss him – especially with how dominant he was at points playing against Swedish U-20 competition. He even shared the crease for Sweden at the 2025 World Juniors and looked solid. But it’s been a difficult season for him in Leksands, playing against pro players in one of the top leagues in the world. Gidlöf still has four shutouts out of his nine wins, but he has struggled to look comfortable at times. As a younger prospect, though, this could still be a win for the Blues. He’s positionally strong, does a great job of getting the puck out of danger, and obviously has the frame scouts crave.
Jesper Vikman, G, 23 (Washington Capitals)
At 6-foot-4, Vikman has the size teams covet. The numbers, however, are a little less glamorous. Set to turn 24 later this week, Vikman has struggled to perform in the AHL and has even spent significant time in the ECHL during his pro career. His recent stretch of play in Henderson wasn’t good, often getting outplayed by Silver Knights crease buddies Carl Lindbom and Cameron Whitehead. Vikman is a big goalie who moves quickly, but can be found out of position far too often. He’s a pending RFA, and with the Hershey Bears’ crease crowded as it is, it seems unlikely Vikman will be part of Washington’s long-term plans.
Isak Rosén, LW, 22 (Winnipeg Jets)
Rosén was considered to be one of Buffalo’s top prospects, having put up 185 points in 231 games played over four seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. He also has eight points in 31 games over parts of three NHL seasons. He has been a bit all over the place early on in his pro career, with some scouts worried he might not be more than a AAAA-quality player. Others believe he just needs the right opportunity to step into a bigger role and prove himself. Given where Winnipeg is in the standings, it would be interesting to see if Rosen gets a chance to maybe play in the middle six the rest of the way and build upon his momentum in Rochester. He’s crafty, skilled and does a good job of forcing defenders to make quicker decisions than they often expect. A future 20-goal scorer is not out of the question here.
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